First U.S. envoy of her kind taking close relationship with
Holocaust survivors to new level

By Debra Rubin
JNS.org
Aviva Sufian was just 8 years old when
her mother took her to an American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors event
in Philadelphia in 1985. She remembers
survivor after survivor standing up and announcing, “My name is, and this is where
I’m from.”
Sufian, whose grandparents had come
to this country shortly after World War I,
says her parents “placed a primacy on my
understanding the world they came from,”
including understanding the devastation of
the Jewish people under the Nazi regime.
“I had a close relationship with Holocaust
survivors in the community I grew up in,”
said Sufian, 37, who lived in Houston, studied Yiddish in high school and college, and
as a student at Columbia University in New
York conducted interviews with survivors
for the Shoah Foundation.
Sufian’s career has since focused on the
elderly, both in the Jewish communal and

government sectors. Named in late January
as the first special envoy for U.S. Holocaust
survivor services, she will be combining her
background in the field of aging with her
knowledge of Holocaust survivors.
“In many ways, I feel like stepping into
this role is coming home to an issue very
near and dear to my heart,” Sufian said in
an interview with JNS.org.
In her new role, Sufian will continue to
work in the Administration for Community
Living at the Department of Health and Human Services, where, since 2012, she has
been director of regional operations helping
to maximize the independence, well-being
and health of older adults, people with disabilities and their families and caregivers.
Her envoy role, the White House announced,
will be as an advocate for survivors currently
living in poverty, as well as those who may
not be receiving services for which they are
currently eligible.
About 120,000 Holocaust survivors live in
the United States, with some 25 percent living

policy at the Jewish Federations
in poverty, compared with 9 percent
of North America, who praised
of the general elderly population,
Sufian’s appointment.
according to the White House.
“The White House imprimatur
Sufian’s appointment is part
that comes with it will help to
of a White House initiative that
ensure that there’s added focus
Vice President Joe Biden had
and attention on this key populaannounced in December to help
tion,” he said.
survivors. The initiative also
Asked why Holocaust surincludes a public-private partnervivors should be singled out
ship to raise awareness about and
for special attention among all
provide support for survivors.
In general, the administration is Av i v a S u f i a n , elderly individuals living in povlooking for ways to “help people the first special erty, Daroff told JNS.org that it is
stay in their homes and commu- envoy for U.S. “because they are Americans who
nities and live in settings of their Holocaust survivor are in need – just like it’s the role
choice,” Sufian said.
services. (Photo of the federal government to help
That objective is particularly by Department of with your parents or my parents
important for Holocaust survi- Health and Human who have specific needs and who
are in need of help.”
vors who “have specific issues Services)
Sufian said it will be her job to
and needs based on their experiences – issues of social isolation, issues work across agencies – among them HHS,
around institutionalization that harken back the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
to their experiences during the war,” said Services, the Social Security AdministraWilliam Daroff, vice president for public tion, Housing and Urban Development and
the Department of Transportation – to help

Professor Malka Schaps speaks to the
Federation
Close to 50 people attended a program on February 2 during which Professor
Malka Schaps told her life
story, which she began as
Mary Elizabeth Kramer, of
Ohio, before converting to
Orthodox Judaism. Schaps
holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard University,
lives in the ultra-Orthodox
community of Bnai Brak in
Israel, works as a novelist
and has been appointed as Professor Malka Schaps spoke
dean of exact sciences (math- about her life to Federation
ematics, physics, chemistry members on February 2.

and computer sciences) at
Bar-Ilan University.
Shaps’ overview of her
personal journey was described as having “humility,
wit and sheer brilliance”
by organizers of the event.
They added, “The audience
was spellbound,” as they
listened to Schaps share
her discovery of Judaism as
“the true faith and the trials
she endured to achieve her
conversion.”
Schaps and her husband,
Professor David Schaps,

Federation members attended an event on February 2 during which Professor Malka
Schaps discussed her life and accomplishments.

moved to Israel to join the academic
community after they received their Ph.D.
degrees from Harvard, she in mathematics and he in the classics. While working
in academia, Malka raised two children
and fostered four more. She also began
a side career writing novels and non-fiction for the Orthodox Jewish audience
under the pen name “Rachel Pomeranz.”
This past November, she was appointed
to the post of dean of exact sciences at
Bar-Ilan University, the first Orthodox
woman to do so.
Malka Schaps considers “one of proudest
accomplishments” to be the development
of a program and curriculum in financial
mathematics that is being used throughout
Israel. She said, “This is probably my biggest
contribution to the state of Israel.”
Attendees of the presentation said of
Schaps, “I’d love to spend more time with
her,” “I’d love to have her at my Shabbat
table,” “For someone so brilliant, she is
very modest, very unassuming” and “I
could have listened and asked questions
for another hour.”
When told that people found her
“humble,” Schaps replied, “Strange as it
seems, being a mathematician can be a
job encouraging humility. I am constantly
dealing with people who are conspicuously
smarter than I am.”
Organizers of the program thanked to the
Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania for sponsoring it. Co-sponsors of the
See “Schaps” on page 6

The IDF highlights women soldiers; The world’s oldest siddur is slated More on the Israeli draft bill;
PLUS
what an Orthodox high school’s new for display at the future Bible Princeton to partner with a Herzliya
tefillin policy could mean for women. museum in Washington, DC .
school; and more.
Opinion...........................................................2
Stories on pages 6-7
Story on page 11
Stories on page 13 D’var Torah...................................................8

2

THE REPORTER ■ february 13, 2014

a matter of opinion
Rampaging minority politicized MLA conference
By Amy Schwartz
(JTA) – The Modern Language Association, which held its annual conference here
January 9-12, has approximately 28,000
humanities scholars in its membership,
about 4,000 of whom attend the annual
conference. The conference features hundreds of workshops and panels discussions
– about 800 in total this year – on topics
ranging from Italian-American literature
to comics and graphic novels to old Norse
language and literature.
The campaign to boycott Israel – commonly known as the boycott, divestment
and sanctions movement, or BDS – was
surely the last thing on the minds of most
MLA attendees in Chicago. So why did this
year’s program include a roundtable panel
discussion on academic boycotts of Israel
and a factually flawed resolution alleging
that Israel bars academics seeking to enter
the West Bank?
In my view, it was nothing more than
the political rampaging of a small cadre
of MLA members intent on politicizing
the event and taking advantage of the
membership’s general lack of awareness
to foist a wholly non-academic issue to the
forefront of the conference.
Talking to friends and fellow MLA members, it was striking that none of them had
heard of the academic boycott panel or the
resolution. Indeed, MLA members seemed
acutely unaware of the larger political context and agenda of the panel discussants
and resolution proposers, including Omar
Barghouti and David Lloyd, who are major
players in the BDS movement.
The roundtable discussion was a closed
session open only to MLA members. Those
who attended were largely a self-selecting

Opinions The views expressed in editorials and opinion pieces are those of
each author and not necessarily the views
of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern
Pennsylvania.
Letters The Reporter welcomes letters
on subjects of interest to the Jewish community. All letters must be signed and
include a phone number. The editor may
withhold the name upon request.
ADS The Reporter does not necessarily endorse any advertised products
and services. In addition, the paper is
not responsible for the kashruth of any
advertiser’s product or establishment.
Deadline Regular deadline is two
weeks prior to the publication date.
Federation website:
www.jewishnepa.org
How to SUBMIT ARTICLES:
Mail: 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA
18510
E-mail: jfnepareporter@jewishnepa.org
Fax: (570) 346-6147
Phone: (570) 961-2300
How to reach
the advertising Representative:
Phone: (800) 779-7896, ext. 244
E-mail: bonnie@thereportergroup.org
Subscription Information:
Phone: (570) 961-2300

group of supporters. The room was half
filled with about 100 people, although three
security guards stood at the door. The atmosphere was similar to a pep rally, complete
with much applause and grandstanding.
There was nothing academic about the
panel discussion. Rather, it was a hostile,
politicized circus in the guise of an intellectual and academic discussion.
It got worse when MLA delegates
moved to a discussion of Resolution
2014-1 charging that Israel bars academics seeking to enter the West Bank. The
propaganda and polemics of resolution
supporters was astounding.
In light of these events, I decided to step
up to the microphone to speak out against
the resolution at the open hearing of the
Delegate Assembly. I spoke to the integrity
of the MLA as an academic organization and
the imperative that it remain apolitical. If
organizations like the MLA become vehicles
of the political agendas of its members,
this respected group will be compromised,
resulting in more harm to the already suffering state of the humanities.
Such results are being seen in other
academic circles. Just look at the recent
backlash to the American Studies Association’s vote to impose a boycott of Israeli
academic institutions. More than 150 university presidents have publicly criticized
academic boycotts. Several universities
have withdrawn their institutional membership in the ASA.
The response to my testimony was predictable. Lloyd claimed BDS proponents were
being “unfairly attacked, intimidated and

threatened to suggest there would be a backlash against the MLA for this resolution.”
The Delegate Assembly on January 11
was sheer chaos. The chairwoman, Margaret
Ferguson of the University of California,
Davis, had little control over the room and
seemed to change the rules as she went
along, quashing those who simply wanted to
be heard and eventually moving to suspend
the rules of order expressly meant to govern
the proceedings.
I can’t say those of us who knew in advance of the roundtable and the resolution
were surprised by the insidious atmosphere.
There was an expectation that most MLA
delegates would be largely uninformed about
these issues and the delegates would vote on
impulse without doing their due diligence and
reading the background material.
The warnings were sadly apt. It surprised
me to be in a room of accomplished scholars from highly respected universities and
hear them respond to the resolution with a
profound lack of awareness of its political
context and implications.
In the end, while the body voted down
consideration of an emergency resolution
condemning “attacks” and “intimidation” of
the ASA for its boycott, Resolution 20141, passed by a vote of 60-53, exhorted the
U.S. State Department to investigate alleged
“denials of entry” of American scholars
traveling to pursue academic research and
teach in the West Bank.
The resolution advances to the Executive
Committee meeting in February and, if it
passes there, will go to before MLA members for a vote. At that point, the resolution

must be supported by a majority of voting
members whose number equals at least 10
percent of the overall membership.
Colleagues who have attended MLA
meetings for decades say they have never
seen anything like what occurred. Several
members who first learned of the agenda
at the conference expressed such disgust
that they threatened to cancel their membership if the resolution passes. A serious
backlash by members this spring would not
be surprising.
Pre-emptive preparations for this uphill
battle were thorough and thoughtful. The
impressive group of Jewish intellectuals
who fought the resolution, led by highly
respected professors Cary Nelson of the
University of Illinois and Russell Berman
of Stanford University, helped organize
an alternative discussion on academic
freedom immediately after the academic
boycott roundtable.
Clearly the effort to counter the mainstreaming BDS initiatives within academic
organizations is only beginning. MLA
Scholars for Academic Freedom and antiBDS forces such as the Israel Action Network, the Israel on Campus Coalition, the
Anti-Defamation League and others will
continue to educate and inform the MLA
membership and initiate outreach to other
academic organizations to promote responsibility, academic freedom and integrity.
Amy Schwartz, the assistant regional
director of the Anti-Defamation League’s
Chicago office, is a member of the Modern
Language Association and a former adjunct
professor at Northwestern University.

Time to give day school parents a break
By rabbi Joshua Lookstein
(JTA) – This fall, the school that I head
brought dozens of its students to join 5,000
others at a rally in our county in support
of smart legislation to boost education in
New York state.
But this is no local story: If successful, our effort will have far-reaching
consequences for the future of Jewish life
across America.
In my first months as head of Westchester
Day School and in my career as a rabbi,
educator and community professional, I
often have heard from parents who struggle
to pay their kids’ day school tuition even
while they contribute toward scholarships
that support others’ children.
These are parents whose salaries otherwise would entitle them to a comfortable
financial cushion. Instead, they effectively
live paycheck to paycheck. Parents with this
kind of dedication to the Jewish future merit
a higher priority in our community.
A handful of states already have tax
incentive programs that help parents afford day school education by giving tax
credits to people or institutions that donate
toward tuition scholarship funds. In these
states, the programs, which have been a
lifeline for Jewish parents and Jewish
schools, also have benefitted Catholic
and independent schools.
In New York, Catholic, Jewish and
independent voices are banding together
to advance this legislation. But we need

the support of the Jewish community
nationwide.
Donations to scholarship funds already
are subsidized through federal and state
tax deductions. What makes tax credit
programs so valuable is that they increase
the savings – and incentives – to donors
from a tax deduction, which might amount
to 40 percent savings, to a dollar-for-dollar
tax credit.
Under the proposed bill in New York,
known as the Education Investment Tax
Credit Act, instead of paying $10,000 in
state taxes, for example, you can settle
the debt by donating $5,000 to a nonprofit
scholarship fund and paying $5,000 to the
state. If scholarship donations don’t seem
worthy of a tax credit, consider that New
York state already offers tax credits for locally brewed beer and film and television
production. Educating our children seems
no less legitimate.
The program would help boost donations to art and music programs in public
schools and support scholarship funds for
students to attend non-public kindergarteneighth grade schools like ours. This would
strengthen education for all and fortify our
schools for years to come. And it means
more scholarship relief to families already
sacrificing so much.
Our shared Jewish future is at stake.
Without additional funding from public or
private sources, Jewish day school education in America will hit a wall as growing

numbers of dual-income families find they
cannot afford it.
What happens in New York, where
roughly half of all the Jewish day school
students in America reside, will help set
the tone for the entire country. If the day
school model cannot be made sustainable
here, then this core identity-building tool
and pipeline for future Jewish leaders
will grow out of reach for more and more
families.
As a Jewish community, we have an
obligation to pursue every avenue for
tuition affordability. This means reducing
costs for the services we purchase and
provide; tapping every possible resource
to increase donations and foundation
support; and calling on our government
to give families more of a break when
they donate toward – or benefit from
– tuition assistance.
Many Jews have legitimate concerns
about accepting public support for our private schools. It is important to keep in mind
that most tax credit programs, including the
proposed legislation in New York, help the
public system as well. Under the proposed
law in our state, half the tax credits available
would be designated for support for public
education and teacher-designated projects.
And none of the credits directed to scholarship entities would come out of the more
than $22 billion that our state spends each
year on public schools.
See “Parents” on page 5

letters to the editor
Federation’s film lending library appreciated
Dear Editor:
I would like to send a special thank you
to both the Jewish Federation and Dassy
Ganz specifically. The film lending library
service provided by the Federation is free to
members. I have already enjoyed four of these
beautiful movies and look forward to watching others as well. These movies will open
my heart and stimulate my minding, bringing

Yiddishkeit right into my home. What a great
bonus to my Federation membership!
With appreciation,
Mel Rosenthal, D.C.
Saylorsburg, PA
Dear Dassy:
Thank you very much for the loan of the
movie “Hava Nagilah: The Movie.” It was
well-attended by the residents of Webster

Towers and their response to watching it
was wonderful. It is always nice when we
can work together for the benefit of others.
It was a lovely afternoon and we thank the
Jewish Federation for contributing to it.
Sincerely,
Judy McLane
Human Services Coordinator,
Webster Towers senior high-rise

FEBRUARY 13, 2014 ■

THE REPORTER

3

community news
Scranton Hebrew Day School winter soup sale
The Scranton Hebrew Day School will hold a
winter soup sale in February, offering a variety of
homemade soups in either 16 or 32 ounce sizes. The
selection will include minestrone, zucchini, vegetable,

chicken with vegetables, butternut squash, mushroom
and barley, cream of plantain and others. Quantities
will be limited.
To place an order, call the school office at 570-346-1576,

ext. 2. The deadline to order will be Friday, February 14.
Soups will be available for pick-up from the school after
Tuesday, February 18. All proceeds will benefit the school’s
scholarship fund.

Congregation B’nai Harim planning adult Purim celebration
By Lee Emerson
Congregation B’nai Harim will celebrate the holiday
of Purim on Saturday, March 8, at 7 pm, at the syna-

gogue, Route 940 at Pocono Crest Road and Sullivan
Trail, Pocono Pines. Attendees have been encouraged
to wear a costume.

“Hava Nagila: The Movie” called “a
hit” at Webster Towers
Dassy Ganz, assistant to the executive director of the Jewish
Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania, joined residents of
Scranton’s Webster Towers senior high-rise for a screening of
the newly released “Hava Nagila: The Movie.” The documentary is part of the Jewish Federation’s film library.
The movie travels the world to explain the origins of the folk
song’s melody and lyrics. The picture also features personal
interviews with historians and performers, as well as actual
footage of the earliest horas danced to “Hava Nagila.”
The documentary presented various renditions of the
song, adapted to the times and the occasion. It also pointed
out that cultures both Jewish and non-Jewish have connected to “Hava Nagila.”
Those interested in borrowing the film on DVD or others
from the Jewish Film Library should contact Ganz at the
Federation at dassy.ganz@jewishnepa.org, or 570-961-2300,
ext. 2. Suggestions for new films are always welcome.

The cost to attend will be $15 per person. Organizers
have asked those attending to make a reservation before
Saturday, March 1. Checks can be sent to Congregation
B’nai Harim, P.O. Box 757, Pocono Pines, PA 18350, with
the number of reservations required.
At the event, the B’nai Harim players will present the
shpiel “Megillah Around the Clock.” A buffet of kosherstyle deli sandwiches, salads, pickles and desserts, including
hamantashen, will be provided.
For more information, visit www.bnaiharimpoconos.org
or call the message center at 570-646-0100.

S
E
N
I
L
D
A
E
D
The following are deadlines for all articles and photos
for upcoming Reporter issues.

DEADLINE

ISSUE

Thursday, February 13.................... February 27
Thursday, February 27........................ March 13
Thursday, March 13............................ March 27
Thursday, March 27.............................. April 10
Joe and Eleanor Lowenberg attended a screening of
“Hava Nagila: The Movie” at Webster Towers.

Notice to our Pocono Readers
911 Emergency Management Services has been updating mailing
addresses in Monroe County and Lehman Townships in Pike
County. Please don't forget to notify the Federation so you
will continue to receive The Reporter.
Thanks,
Mark Silverberg, Executive Director
Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania

ÊVisit the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania on the web at www.jewishnepa.org or on Facebook

4

THE REPORTER ■ february 13, 2014

The Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition

Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition report
the vote; and
By Joe Fisch
Whereas, the motion was
Attached is Senate Resolupassed by only 16 percent
tion 279, introduced by Senator
of the membership of the
Anthony Williams (D-PhiladelASA; and
phia), to condemn the Academic
Whereas, the ASA’s acaStudies Association’s academic
demic boycott against Israel
boycott efforts against Israel. It is
calls for a boycott of all of the
currently in the Senate Education
universities within the state of
Committee and the Pennsylvania
Israel, a Jewish democratic
Jewish Coalition is working on a
J
o
e
F
i
s
c
h
i
s
nation that promotes academic
similar resolution in the Pennsylchairman
of
the
PJC
freedom and free speech and
vania House of Representatives,
following which it will push NEPA Federation educates students from around
the globe; and
for passage in each respective Chapter.
Whereas, the academic boychamber.
The General Assembly of Penn- cott against all universities and colleges
in Israel results in the restriction of acasylvania Senate Resolution
demic freedom worldwide and reflects an
No. 279
A resolution condemning the Aca- antisemitic position; and
Whereas, the academic boycott is
demic Studies Association’s academic
purportedly
an effort to denounce alleged
boycott against Israel and calling upon
Israeli
human
rights violations, yet it efthe Department of Education, the State
fectively
disengages
the scholars within
System of Higher Education, each of
Israeli
academic
institutions
from global
the state-related universities and all of
academic
collaborations
and
does not
Pennsylvania’s independent colleges and
universities to reject antisemitism and not support Israeli peace efforts in the Middle
East; and
participate in the academic boycott:
Whereas, due to the academic boyWhereas, antisemitism is an intolerable
and ugly form of bigotry, prejudice and cott, several American collegiate memhostility directed toward individuals of the bers of the ASA have withdrawn their
Jewish faith and the Jewish state of Israel, institutional memberships, including
often based on ethnic, cultural or religious members at Brandeis University and The
Pennsylvania State University – Haridentity; and
Whereas, the American Studies As- risburg; and
Whereas, numerous university presisociation is an academic organization
composed of approximately 5,000 dents from the nation’s centers of acamembers, all of whom are members of demic study, including the University
academia specializing in the interdisci- of Pennsylvania, Harvard University,
plinary study of American culture and Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, Haverford
history; and
Whereas, the ASA held a vote in which College, Princeton University, Lehigh
1,252 of its members participated, and 66 University, Temple University, Boston
percent voted in favor of an academic boy- University, University of Chicago,
cott against Israel, while 30 percent objected University of Michigan, New York Uniand approximately 4 percent abstained from versity, Middlebury College and many

Effective
immediately, send
all articles and ads to
our new E-mail address,

please
note!

jfnepareporter@
jewishnepa.org.

Jewish
Federation
of NEPA
Effective
immediately,

please send all articles & ads to
our new E-mail address,

jfnepareporter@jewishnepa.org.
Facebook ® is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc

Planning on leaving town for a few months?
Going on a long vacation? Moving any time soon?
You can help save the Jewish Federation money by informing us of your
plans and preventing the U.S. Postal Service from charging us for returned
mail and address change notices.
Before you go, call the Federation office or send us an email and let us know
if you would like the mail sent temporarily to a different address, at no charge
to you, or halted for a certain number of months. Give us a chance to get it
right for you on the first mailing.
Contact Dassy at (570)961-2300 or dassy.ganz@jewishnepa.org

others have publicly condemned and
rejected the academic boycott because
it negatively impacts the progress for
peace in the Middle East and unfairly
targets Israel; and
Whereas, the practical effect of the
American Studies Association Israeli
boycott is a resurgence of antisemitism;
therefore be it
Resolved, that the Senate condemn in
the strongest possible terms the ASA’s
academic boycott against Israel as an
intolerable, antisemitic, base form
of bigotry and hatred and recognize
that such conduct, particularly within
centers of academic study, is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated; and be it
further
Resolved, that the Senate request that
the Department of Education and the
State System of Higher Education, in
cooperation with each of the state-related
universities and this commonwealth’s
independent colleges and universities,
acknowledge the serious problem of antisemitic conduct, the creation of a hostile
learning environment worldwide and that
any such institutions not participate in the
academic boycott.
Addendum
A similar Resolution was introduced as
House Resolution No. 627 by the leaders

munity resource,” admiring its
By Jeanine Hofbauer
introduction preceding perforReprinted with permission
mances as “your” Northeastern
of The Journal of the Pocono
Pennsylvania Philharmonic.
Plateau
As budget cuts continue to
Pinecrest is a far cry from
affect arts programs in schools
New York City or Philadelphia,
nationwide, he commented,
but one Plateau resident found
“It’s important that the Philharout how close it actually is to
monic steps into the breach.”
the talented artists that perform
He described arrangements with
at these metropolitan venues. Ira
schools for reduced ticket pricing,
Miller took a step toward fulfillIra Miller
inviting students to take part in
ing his “bucket list” aspiration of
the sights and sounds of a philconducting a symphony orchestra when
harmonic
performance.
he joined the board of the Northeastern
Echoing Miller’s sentiments, conducPennsylvania Philharmonic more than
tor Lawrence Loh talked about holiday
four years ago.
Today, his new title as president of the concerts targeted for a family audiboard reveals his passion for opening doors ence that introduce varying symphonic
to performances as close as Wilkes-Barre sounds to younger listeners, as well as
and Scranton. He has said he is particu- a mixed audience.
The central Pennsylvania native delarly fond of April’s concert, Beethoven’s
Ninth Symphony, scheduled for Friday, scribed performances he’s conducted
April 25, at the Scranton Cultural Center. throughout the past nine years with the
While he enjoys attending performances at Philharmonic, featuring “seasoned instruWilkes-Barre’s Kirby Center, he admits the mentalists from near and far,” saying, “We
architecture of the Masonic Temple at the cast a wide net for our talent.”
Dispelling perceptions about perforScranton Cultural Center also complements
mances limited to classical music scores,
the sounds of the orchestra.
With ticket sales accounting for 30-40 he described an upcoming February concert
percent of operational costs, he took a mo- celebrating the Big Band era, calling it a
ment to publicly thank the private contribu- “nice fit with the resurgence of the musical
tors for their continued support in “enriching style in the last decade.”
For more information on programs and
the area and its residents.”
ticket
sales, visit www.nepaphil.org.
He views the Philharmonic as “a com-

e Jewish Federation’s
n th
em
o
u
a

o
il l
ey
ist
r
A
?
We send updated announcements and special

event details weekly to those who wish to receive them.
Send Dassy Ganz an email if you would like to join the list.
Dassy.ganz@jewishnepa.org

FEBRUARY 13, 2014 ■

THE REPORTER

BTA breakfast asks, “How do I make a difference?”
Ziv Ben-Dov, of Out-of-the-Box Therapy in Scranton,
was the co-sponsor with the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania at the Northeastern Pennsylvania
Business and Trade Alliance 2014 winter breakfast held on
January 23 at the Scranton Jewish Community Center.
After a buffet breakfast, Ben-Dov began by showing a
video clip of philosopher and Holocaust survivor Victor
Frankl. In the video, Frankl discussed the importance of
having a moral compass and that “it is imperative to aim
high in the hopes of achieving even the basics in the proper
level of goodness and morality.” According to him, “If one
doesn’t reach for the stars, he is bound to land way below
what is necessary for society to exist.”
Ben-Dov then brought the conversation to those present
and challenged them by asking what they do in their daily
living, both at home and in their professions, that keeps
them “on the track of morality and decency.” Many of the
attendees contributed with questions and comments, including how they pass their values on to the next generation.
As always, each attendee had an opportunity to introduce himself or herself and their business. The Federation
welcomed Andrew Katz, of Katz Financial, in Lake Ariel,
at the program.

5

Ziv Ben-Dov addressed the audience at the Northeastern
Pennsylvania Business and Trade Alliance 2014 winter
breakfast held on January.
The BTA is a project of the Federation, of under the
guidance of Becky Schastey. For more information or to
join the BTA, visit http://JewishNEPABTA.org.

Parents

The public school system benefits indirectly, too.
For every parent who can no longer afford tuition and
moves a child out of a private or parochial school to
public school, taxpayers must now pick up the entire
cost. Here in Westchester County, that’s well above the
statewide average of $19,000 per student, not including
capital costs. By helping students stay in their existing
Catholic or Jewish schools rather than transferring them
into district or charter schools, such tax incentives will

Continued from page 2
save the state and local school districts billions of dollars each year.
I agreed to allow students from my school to skip class
to attend this rally to show them that what happens in
government affects real people. Anyone who cares about
a meaningful Jewish future in America should help make
tuition scholarship tax credit programs a reality.
Rabbi Joshua Lookstein is head of Westchester Day
School in Mamaroneck, NY.

L-r: Becky Schastey, Andrew Katz and Ed Monsky attended
the Northeastern Pennsylvania Business and Trade
Alliance 2014 winter breakfast held on January 23.

ÊVisit the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania on the web at www.jewishnepa.org or on Facebook

6

THE REPORTER ■ february 13, 2014

women in judaism

Female IDF soldiers shatter contemporary infantry lines
By Maayan Jaffe
JNS.org
From the inception of the Jewish state to the present,
Israel’s military has been anything but a male-dominated
institution. On May 26, 1948, Prime Minister David
Ben-Gurion established the Israel Defense Forces. Less
than three months later, the Knesset instituted mandatory
conscription for all women without children. Today, 57
percent of all officers in the Israeli army are women, according to the IDF.
The IDF recently highlighted the stories of a select group
of those women on its blog, in a list titled “8 Female Soldiers Who Shattered Barriers in 2013.” The article, which
featured women in a variety of military roles and from
diverse backgrounds, said that in recent years women have
“taken increasingly high-level positions in the IDF.”
The female soldiers included in the list “challenge
stereotypes,” wrote the IDF. Among those listed are two
soldiers originally from the U.S.: Cpl. Dylan Ostrin, from
Houston, who made aliyah at the age of 7, and Sgt. Sarit
Petersen, from Maryland, who is currently in the process
of making aliyah.
Petersen, who recently completed her IDF term, served
as a shooting instructor in the Nahal Infantry Brigade. Her
job was to teach reconnaissance brigade soldiers (Special

Sarit Petersen, of Maryland, who is on the IDF’s recent
list of “8 Female Soldiers Who Shattered Barriers in
2013.” (Photo courtesy of the Israel Defense Forces)
Forces) to use their weapons. Speaking from her parents’
home in Baltimore, Peterson waxed modest about being
chosen for the IDF blog entry. “There are awesome people
doing awesome things in the army all the time,” she said
with a giggle.
A 2010 graduate of the Yeshiva of Greater Washington,
Petersen told JNS.org that she was “surprised” at her selec-

Schaps
At left: Federation members
attended an event on
February 2 during which
Professor Malka Schaps
discussed her life and
accomplishments.

Friends of The Reporter
Dear Friend of The Reporter,
Each year at this time the Jewish Federation
of Northeastern Pennsylvania calls upon
members of our community to assist in defraying the expense of issuing our regional
Jewish newspaper, The Reporter.
The newspaper is delivered twice
of month (except for December
and July which are single
issue months) to each
and every identifiable
Jewish home in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The Federation assumes the financial responsibility for funding the enterprise at a cost
of $26,400 per year and asks only that we
undertake a small letter writing
mail campaign to our recipients in the hope of raising
$10,000 from our readership to alleviate a share of
that responsibility.
We would be grateful if
you would care enough to
take the time to make a
donation for our efforts in
bringing The Reporter to
your door.
As always, your comments, opinions and suggestions are always
welcome.
With best wishes,
Mark Silverberg, Executive Director
Jewish Federation of NE Pennsylvania
601 Jefferson Avenue
Scranton, PA 18510

I WILL SUPPORT CONTINUATION OF OUR EXPANDED FEDERATION REPORTER BY CONTRIBUTING
$54

See “IDF” on page 13

columns that cover everything from food to
entertainment.

As the primary Jewish
newspaper of our region,
we have tried to produce
a quality publication for
you that offers our readership something on everythingfrom opinions and columns on
controversial issues that affect our
people and our times, to publicity for the
events of our affiliated agencies and organizations to life cycle events, teen columns,
personality profiles, letters to the editor,
the Jewish community calendar and other
$36

tion, though she was one of the first to hold her position
in the IDF. Petersen trained soldiers slated for elite army
units. They had already completed at least eight months of
basic training, and often had several additional months of
more intense training. She said that she and her colleagues
would “sit for hours and hours” planning and analyzing how
they were going to take these men from “regular soldiers
to Special Forces – to even better.
“We would spend hours and hours on an exercise
list. We would look at their old ones, see what they
had done and figure out how to make it harder and
faster, how they could run more. Then we would go
to the shooting range and make them do all of these
[exercises] we had set up for them and they would do
it,” she said. “We would do it first, to test it out, and
then they would do it.”
Is Petersen good with a gun? “Yeah,” she said. “I am a
pretty good shot.”
Petersen said she shot her first gun as a 14-year-old on
a vacation with a friend in Nevada; they shot cans in the
desert. “I thought, ‘Wow! I am really good at this and it is
really fun,’” she reminisced, noting that she could never
have dreamed then of her time in the IDF.
Other female soldiers on the list have different roles. Take

$100

OTHER AMT $

Name (s) (as you wish to appear on our list of “FRIENDS”)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Address:________________________________________________________________________________________
Phone:_________________________________________________________________________________________
__Check here if you prefer your name not to be published
Please write and send tax deductible checks to Jewish Federation, 601 Jefferson Avenue, Scranton, PA 18510

L-r: Mark Silverberg, Dassy Ganz and Professor Malka
Schaps posed together at a February 2 program in which
Schaps discussed her life story.

FEBRUARY 13, 2014 ■

THE REPORTER

7

women in judaism
SAR tefillin policy just the tip of
the iceberg for Orthodox women

See “Tefillin” on page 14

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Grocery Including a large selection of Kosher Dairy & Frozen items.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
–––––––– –––––––– ––––––––

to women. In 1984, the Drisha Institute, a
New York institution under Orthodox leadership, opened the first full-time women’s
kollel study program.
The glass ceiling of female Orthodox
spiritual leaders began to shatter, too. In 1992,
Drisha began offering a three-year program
“paralleling rabbinic ordination” to certify
female scholars. A few years later, Nishmat,
an institution in Jerusalem established in 1990
“to open the gates of higher Torah learning
to women,” inaugurated a program to certify
women as “yoatzot halachah” – consultants
on Jewish law. The consultants mainly ministered to women on laws pertaining to sex,
Shabbat and kashrut.
In 2009, Weiss pushed the envelope even
further by ordaining Sara Hurwitz, later conferring on her the title of “rabba,” a feminized
version of rabbi. The move was condemned
immediately – not just by the haredi Orthodox, but by leaders of the centrist Orthodox
Rabbinical Council of America.
“The ordination of women as rabbis
represents a serious and inappropriate
breach with our sacred tradition and is
beyond the pale of Orthodox Judaism,”
said Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, a rabbi in
Teaneck, NJ, who was vice president of
the RCA at the time.
For a long time, it had been unusual
for one sector of American Orthodoxy to
condemn another, despite differences in
practice and even ideology. Many families
span the various kinds of Orthodoxy, no
one’s quite sure of what the contours of
modern Orthodox are, and it’s not unusual
to find haredi Orthodox Jews worshiping
in modern Orthodox shuls and vice versa.
(Neither consider it acceptable to worship
in Conservative or Reform synagogues.)
But as liberal Orthodox Jews support
new roles for women, particularly in the
synagogue, it’s looking increasingly like
Orthodoxy is undergoing a schism.
The more traditionalist elements of the
Orthodox community view the reforms as
beyond the pale, a threat to the integrity
of their halachic community. This is why
Weiss and the yeshivas he has established,
including the liberal Orthodox rabbinical
school Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, have faced
so much Orthodox opposition – from the
RCA, which does not recognize Chovevei
ordination, to Israel’s Chief Rabbinate,

By Uriel Heilman
NEW YORK (JTA) – The recent announcement that SAR, a modern Orthodox
high school in New York, is allowing girls to
lay tefillin is helping expose an increasingly
sharp fault line within Orthodoxy.
For decades, it has been difficult to sort
out the precise dividing lines between the
varieties of Orthodoxy – ultra, haredi,
centrist, modern, liberal. Each elastic
category bled into others, and the movement has been broad enough to encompass
everyone from black hat-wearing rabbis
with long beards to young women in
jeans and T-shirts. What united them was
a stated commitment to halachah – Jewish
law traditionally defined – and, of course,
self-definition as Orthodox.
In recent years, however, a visible divide
has been emerging over a single issue: the
role of women. It quickly is becoming a line
in the sand, pitting the reformers against
the traditionalists.
The decision by SAR High School, located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx,
is just the latest development on this front.
Before it came the decision by Rabbi Avi
Weiss, an Orthodox rabbi in Riverdale,
to ordain female Orthodox clergy. The
ordination call was preceded by Orthodox
minyans that took a second look at halachah
and decided that allowing women to lead
certain parts of worship – Torah reading,
the introductory morning prayers known
as Psukei D’zimra and a few other rituals
– did not violate the letter of the law.
It’s difficult to say when it all began. Was
the original Bais Yaakov school for girls,
opened in Poland in 1917, the first breach,
breaking the traditional ban on giving girls
a formalized Torah education? The school,
which by today’s standards would be considered ultra-Orthodox, was then seen as
groundbreaking. Only the imprimatur of
the widely respected Rabbi Yisrael Meir
Kagan, known as the Chofetz Chaim,
helped stem the controversy that greeted
its establishment.
In America, a key milestone came in the
latter half of the 20th century when Orthodox
schools began offering girls the same Jewish
education offered to boys. For many years
– and this is still the case in many Orthodox
institutions today – only boys were allowed
to study Talmud, the central text of Orthodox Judaism. But when Orthodox schools
began allowing girls to study Talmud, under
the authority of Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik
of the Maimonides School near Boston, it
opened the door to a new way of thinking
about the role of Orthodox women.
Many of the logical conclusions followed.
If an Orthodox girl could study Talmud in
high school, why couldn’t she in college?
By the early 1980s, Yeshiva University, the
flagship institution of modern Orthodoxy,
was offering elective Talmud classes at its
Stern College for Women, though it wasn’t
until 2009 that Stern opened a master’s program in biblical and talmudic interpretation

Turn it and turn it... upside down and
inside out
by RABBI MARJORIE BERMAN, SPIRITUAL
DIRECTOR, RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL
COLLEGE IN PHILADELPHIA
Ki Tisa, Exodus 30:11-34:35
The parasha of Ki Tisa is often best known for one of our
people’s greatest transgressions, the making of the golden
calf. What I want to discuss in today’s column, however,
happens a little later in the portion.
Trying to heal the breach left between God and the Israelites after the molten image has been destroyed, and at the
same time to convince God that the people need Adonai’s
accompaniment if they are to continue, Moses pleads with
God to go with them, continuing to lead them. God agrees,
and Moses requests to see God’s presence. God responds,
“I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will
proclaim before you the name Eternal, and the grace that
I grant and the compassion that I show... but you cannot
see my face and live.” God offers to place Moses in a cleft
in the rock, and to shield him while the presence passes
by, allowing Moses to only see God’s back. It appears that
Moses can encounter God’s compassion, grace and goodness, as well as hear the Eternal Name, but not see God’s
face, God’s presence.
If we read this passage in isolation, it does not seem
surprising. The Torah has a number of allusions to the
power of God’s kavod – God’s presence and glory – and
how it is dangerous to encounter. But if we look just six
verses earlier in the portion, when it describes what would
happen at the Tent of Meeting when Moses entered and the
cloud of God’s glory descended to rest there, we discover
the sentence “V’diber Adonai el Moshe panim el panim
k’asher yidaber ish el-rayayhoo – And God spoke to Moses
face-to-face, as one speaks to a friend...” This certainly
seems to be in direct contradiction to God’s later statement
that “you cannot see my face and live.” When the rabbis
interpret a text, they look especially carefully at apparent
contradictions and at words that are repeated, like panim
– face. They believed that these were indicators of a deeper
meaning – perhaps a hidden meaning – in the Torah.
Surprisingly, the upcoming holiday of Purim might reveal
the answer, or rather, why there isn’t a single, fixed explanation. For many of us, we think of Purim as a children’s holiday.
It’s a time to dress up, to eat hamantashen and perhaps to
go to a Purim carnival. But Purim is a holiday with many
layers of meaning. Like Chanukah, it is a celebration of
our ability to persevere and survive against great odds. But
unlike Chanukah, the story that is told on Purim does not
credit God with our deliverance, but rather our own cunning
and a bit of luck. The name of God is not mentioned once
in the entire Book of Esther! If the Holy One is present in
this scroll, it is in a hidden manner. In addition, the Book of
Esther purports to tell us a historical tale, but it is not one
that could ever have happened. The names and dates that
make up the story belong to different periods of history, or,
according to other historical records, do not exist at all. So
where did Purim come from? What is its religious signifi-

cance? In our tradition, Purim is a time to turn things upside
down and inside out, to elevate the profane (such as getting
drunk) and make fun of the sacred. Why? Is it just for the
sake of letting off a little steam after months of a long, cold
winter? Or is there a deeper meaning?
Can Moses sit with God and talk like friends having tea,
or will the very sight of God’s presence banish the spark
of life from Moses’ body? Purim comes to teach us that
the nature of truth, and the nature of God, are most often
beyond our understanding. We can glimpse at truth and
perhaps even at the nature of God, but a moment later our
understanding is incomplete. What was revealed becomes
hidden; what was hidden is revealed. We can never be too
sure about what we “know.” In one instant, Moses has a
great intimacy with God, in the next he cannot look upon
God or he will die. We turn everything upside down on
Purim because when we shake things up, we often see
things that were hidden to us before, and things that we
thought we were sure of become uncertain.
As humans, we are wonderful beings, but we are also
limited. We do great danger to ourselves and to those around
us when we believe that we understand everything and
that our vision is flawless. Wars are fought, relationships
destroyed and planetary resources decimated because we
have an amazing capacity to convince ourselves that we
know how things are and how to make them right. Very
little can save us from such arrogance, but humor can. Purim, when it is done right, compels us, or perhaps connives
us, to stand on our heads and see the world differently. It
reminds us that at best, most of our perceptions are illusions, like masks at a Purim ball, and we would be wise
to remember it. Not only wisdom, but holiness, or divine
intent, or love, is often best able to break through at these
moments. Zen Buddhists call it “beginners mind,” that
place where we do not think that we know, and as such,
approach what is before us with open eyes, with an open
mind and, most importantly, with an open heart. The Israeli
poet Yehuda Amichai said it beautifully in his poem, “The
Place Where We Are Right”: “From the place where we are
right/Flowers will never grow/...But doubts and loves/Dig
up the world/Like a mole, a plow.”
We must never be convinced that we have the whole
picture, that we have the Truth with a capital T, or that we
are sure that we understand the nature of God or God’s
ways. The true idolatry of the golden calf was not that the
Israelites imagined God as an Egyptian deity, but that they
tried to put God into a “fixed” form – something that was
limited and unchanging, and could always be seen.
When you celebrate Purim next month, remember to
turn things on their head. Laugh at yourself. Forget every
preconception and prejudice you have. Try to live with
open eyes and an open heart. Try to see truth from as many
angles as you can imagine. Expect to be surprised by God
and by life. Allow yourself to let go of what is revealed
as it becomes hidden again. Keep your eyes open for that
which is hidden to become revealed.

JFS VEHICLE DONATION PROGRAM

Support JFS with a donation
of your car, truck, RV, boat or motorcycle
• Fast, Free Pick-up and Towing
• Receive a Tax Deduction for your Donation
• All Vehicles Accepted Running or Not!
Visit Us on the
Web at:

Save the Dates!
Sunday, March 23 ........ Meet the Authors at the Cleland House
Bed and Breakfast
Monday, April 28.......... Yom Hashoah Mission to Harrisburg
Sunday, June 1.............. Celebrate 50 Years of the Salute to Israel Parade
• Details to follow •

FEBRUARY 13, 2014 ■

THE REPORTER

9

10

THE REPORTER ■ february 13, 2014

book review

Traveling and living in Israel
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
People travel to Israel for a wide variety of reasons.
Some envision only a short stay, but find themselves unable or unwilling to leave. The people they meet and the
events that occur change the course of their lives – making
it impossible to return home. In two recent novels – “Here
Comes Mrs. Kugelman” by Minka Pradelski (Metropolitan
Books/Henry Holt and Company) and “In the Courtyard
of the Kabbalist” by Ruchama King Feuerman (New York
Review of Books) – the main characters struggle with their
unsatisfactory lives, while, at the same time, discovering
the possibilities a future in Israel may hold.
In “Here Comes Mrs. Kugelman,” Tippy Silberberg
travels from Germany to Israel to collect an odd inheritance
from a distant aunt: an incomplete set of flatware. Being
away from home is not easy for Tippy: she has a strange

food addiction that makes traveling difficult. In fact, this
young woman comes across as slightly unbalanced, something that becomes understandable when readers learn of
her relationship to her parents. Tippy’s main task in Israel,
in addition to collecting her inheritance, is to search for a
husband, since she now desperately wants to be married
and have children. However, before she can even settle in
her hotel, an older woman, Bella Kugelman, barges into
her room and starts talking about the Polish town in which
she lived before World War II, a place destroyed during the
Holocaust. At first, Tippy resists listening to Mrs. Kugelman, but soon finds herself engrossed in, and enchanted by,
the stories of the seemingly magical Bedzin. These tales
may hold an important key to Tippy’s life, if only she can
uncover their meaning.
Pradelski, a sociologist and filmmaker whose work fo-

Envoy

Continued from page 1

the agencies understand the needs of survivors and ensure
that survivors know what’s available to them.
“We want them to age well with comfort and dignity
and the honor and respect they deserve,” she said.
Some advocates for Holocaust survivors are pushing
for state Medicaid waivers to use for home health care.
Sufian is unsure of her involvement in that push. “I am
in listening mode right now,” she said. “I plan to identify
barriers and service gaps, and will work with my counterparts within HHS, across the federal government, and
with cities and states to improve access to home- and
community-based services.”
Jack Rubin, a Holocaust survivor who testified January
15 before a United States Senate Select Committee hearing
titled “Aging in Comfort: Assessing the Special Needs of
America’s Holocaust Survivors,” said Sufian’s appointment is inadequate.
“We believe that a serious assessment by this committee
of the actual cost of needed in-home care and basic emergency services such as medicines, dental care, hearing aids,
food, rent, utilities, transportation and other vital services
will show a multi-billion dollar deficit,” he said, according
to his prepared remarks for the hearing.

Rubin said survivors are not seeking funds from the
U.S. government, but rather seeking the government’s
assistance in pressuring Germany and companies that had
insured Holocaust victims before the war, yet have not paid
off those policies, to take responsibility for survivors not
just in the United States, but worldwide.
“The Holocaust survivors in this country strongly believe
even at this very late date, we must return to the origins
of Chancellor [Konrad] Adenauer’s promise in the 1950s
when he said that modern Germany must take care of all
of the needs of survivors due to the savage actions” of
the Nazi regime, Rubin told the committee. “Survivors’
mental and physical health care needs are more extensive,
more complex and more dire than other elderly people, and
require serious, comprehensive responses,” he said.
“I’m sure the vice president meant well” when he
announced his initiative, but “it’s not going to solve the
problem,” Rubin told JNS.org.
For her part, Sufian said such matters are in the purview
of the State Department. “I will be sharing what I learn
about the needs of survivors with my colleagues at the State
Department and with others in the federal government as
appropriate,” she said.

cuses on the Holocaust, uses Tippy and Mrs. Kugelman to
explore how difficult it can be for survivors to talk to family
members about their experiences, yet how necessary it is
for their children to learn their parents’ histories. What is
striking about “Here Comes Mrs. Kugelman” is the novel’s
tone: For the most part, there is a sense of whimsy, both in
Tippy’s initial view of life and in Mrs. Kugelman’s almost
fairy tale-like stories of her home town. Even when the
work moves into more serious subject matter, the lightness
remains. While I enjoyed “Here Comes Mrs. Kugelman”
and found it easy to read, it struck me as an oddity, one
that will not appeal to those who prefer Holocaust novels
to strike a more solemn tone.
Like “Here Comes Mrs. Kugelman,” “In the Courtyard
of the Kabbalist” focuses on two main characters. However,
Feuerman offers a broader view of the Israeli population. In
addition to the 40-something Isaac Markowitz, who traveled to Israel from the U.S. after the death of his mother,
the novel features an Israeli Arab: Mustafa, a janitor who
works on the Temple Mount. Isaac came to Israel because
he felt lost: his life in the U.S., even though financially
successful, was spiritually unfulfilling. Unsure of what to
do after his arrival in Jerusalem, Isaac visits a kabbalist
noted for helping people discover their life path. There he
finds a temporary home and profession: assisting the rabbi
and his wife care for those in need. When walking near
the Temple Mount, Isaac meets Mustafa, whose physical
disability caused hin to be exiled from his village. Their
conversation resonates with Mustafa, who wants more from
life, including the love and respect of his family. Isaac, too,
longs for more – for love and a family – yet is afraid to
risk being hurt again. When Mustafa offers Isaac a gift, this
gesture of friendship places both their lives in danger.
Feuerman does an excellent job creating complex characters, particularly Isaac, whose strengths and weaknesses
are clearly delineated. At the same time, she clearly shows
how he changes over time, particularly in his ability to
look beyond the surface to understand what people really
seek. Mustafa is also an interesting character; however, his
more limited intelligence makes his portrayal problematic.
There is a risk of seeing him as a stereotype. Fortunately,
the author is successful in making his feelings and desires
See “Book” on page 12

Quick Reference Guide to Planned Giving
Use this planned giving quick reference guide to help determine the best strategy for achieving your philanthropic and financial goals. For more information or to discuss
these planned giving options, please contact Mark Silverberg, Executive Director, Jewish Federation of NEPA, 570-961-2300 (x1) or mark.silverberg@jewishnepa.org.

If Your Goal is to:

Then You Can:

Your Benefits May Include:

Make a quick & easy gift
Simply write a check now

An income tax deduction and immediate
charitable impact

Avoid tax on capital gains securities
Contribute long-term appreciated stock or other
Defer a gift until after your lifetime
Put a bequest in your will (gifts of cash, specific property,
or a share or the residue of your estate
Receive guaranteed fixed income that is partially
Create a charitable gift annuity
tax-free

A charitable deduction plus no capital gains tax

Avoid capital gains tax on the sale of a home or
other real estate

Donate the real estate or sell it to a charity at a
bargain price

An income tax reduction plus reduction or elimination
of capital gains tax

Avoid the two-fold taxation on IRA or other
employee benefit plans
Give your personal residence or farm, but retain
life use

Name a charity as the beneficiary of the remainder
of the retirement assets after your lifetime

Tax relief to your family on inherited assets

Create a charitable gift of future interest, called a
retained life estate

Make a large gift with little cost to you
Contribute a life insurance policy you no longer need or
Current & possible future income tax deductions
purchase a new one & designate a charity as the owner
Receive secure, fixed income for life while avoiding
Purchase a charitable gift annuity or create a charitable
Tax advantages & possible increased rate of return
market risks
remainder annuity trust
Give income from an asset for a period of years
Create a charitable lead trust
Federal estate tax savings on asset & income tax
but retain the asset for yourself or your heirs
deductions for deductions for donated income
Create a hedge against inflation over the long term
Create a charitable remainder unitrust
Variable payments for life plus tax advantages
Make a revocable gift during your lifetime
Name a charity as the beneficiary of assets in a
Full control of the trust terms during your lifetime
living trust

By Sean Savage
JNS.org
The discovery of the oldest Jewish siddur (prayer book)
ever found has set off a flurry of attention on ancient religious texts. Dating back to 840 C.E., the siddur sheds new
light on medieval Judaism and the continuity of Jewish
traditions over time.
Currently part of Hobby Lobby President Steven Green’s
“Green Collection,” the largest private collection of biblical texts and artifacts in the world, the siddur and the rest
of the collection will be donated to the as yet unnamed
international Bible museum in Washington, DC, slated to
open in 2017.
Jerry Pattengale – assistant provost at Indiana Wesleyan
University and director of the Green Scholars Initiative,
the research arm of the Green Collection – spoke to JNS.
org about the discovery of the ancient siddur, Jewish-Christian relations, and the upcoming Bible museum.
JNS: What are some of your responsibilities at the Green
Scholars Initiative?
Jerry Pattengale; My role is to put together the research
teams and programs as well as interface with other academic
institutions. We have 90 professors involved in over 60 universities and a number of museums as well. I also administrate
all of our lecture series across the world. We have had nearly
100 scholarly lectures in the past four years.
JNS: What is the story behind the ancient siddur? How did
the Green Collection come into possession of the book?
JP: In short, since 2008, many families that had collections for many decades have started to offer major items
for sale due to the economic downturn. When we started
purchasing items from different collections, we became
bombarded by people looking to sell their stuff. Often we
get very unique calls because they are convinced of what
we are doing. Mr. Green is giving all of this to the museum.
He is not buying to collect it; he is giving it all away.
In this particular case, a family called and wanted to offer
it to us. They knew it was valuable and how meaningful
it would be to a lot of different traditions. It wasn’t until
we started our research on it that [we learned] it was the
earliest Jewish prayer book ever found.

The oldest Jewish siddur ever found, pictured, is part
of The Green Collection, which will be donated to the
future international Bible museum in Washington, DC.
(Photo courtesy of The Green Collection)
JNS: How was the date of the book’s origin determined?
JP: When we realized what we were looking at, we
decided it would be best to carbon date it. We removed two
small sections from the book non-invasively and sent them
to two separate labs. They did not know what they were
testing; it was a double blind test. Both results came back
with a date of 840 C.E. Our scholars had originally dated
it to 850 CE. The whole process was very exciting.
JNS: What contents of the siddur would modern Jews
find familiar, and what would they find different?
JP: It has services for the Sabbath and the 100 blessings,
which you would find in most modern prayer books. That
alone makes it relevant to most Jewish communities and
something they would recognize right away. There is also
the liturgy in there for Passover and the “Song of Songs”
poem for Sukkot.
I think something a lot of people would be interested in
is the poem on the end of times or the apocalyptic text. This
is a story that was very popular at the time, but we don’t
see often anymore. Finally, there is a really unique section
at the end that we are calling the ‘Salvation for Zion.’

JNS: The Green Collection/Scholars Initiative is largely
connected with Evangelical Christians. What role does the
Green Initiative play in that interfaith relationship?
JP: The Green Scholars Initiative is the research arm
of the Green Collection and attempts to remain objective
in its research initiative. There is no religious requirement
for involvement. We have various scholars from different
religious traditions and/or sects within them.
While we attempt not to recruit scholars that are predisposed critically against a view, our efforts have been to
have top scholars as the main consultants over projects,
and capable scholars working on items Given the nature
of our collection, it’s only sensible that the vast majority
of interested parties are Jewish and Christian.
JNS: Do you feel that the Green Initiative helps to bring
Jews and Christians closer together?
JP: Certainly, many of our scholars either studied in Israel
or with Jewish scholars in the U.S., or are Jewish scholars
who have studied with key scholars of Christianity…
The Green Scholars Initiative, through generosity of the
Green family, funded the workshop at the Israel Museum
[in 2012] on conservation of Dead Sea Scrolls and early
papyri texts. This was a wonderful educational event for
a mix of scholars from these faith traditions.
The current exhibit at the Bible Lands Museum [in
Jerusalem] is also a joint project, as well as the items on
exhibit from the Green Collection with the Gabriel Stone
at the Israel Museum…Also, the Greens have made very
serious purchases from Sotheby’s, Christie’s and key collectors that include important items for both the Jewish
and Christian faith traditions.”
JNS: Will you also be involved in the upcoming DC
Bible museum? Can you tell me a bit more about what
future visitors can expect to see there?
JP: Besides an investment in the hundreds of millions of
dollars to preserve and share the history, story and impact
of the Jewish and Christian texts, and the huge investment
for continued research and resources, the museum will
also have a space offered to Israeli institutions for display.
Besides a major space for rotating exhibits, the museum is
See “Siddur” on page 14

Jerome’s estate planning said a lot about him.
What does your estate planning say about you?
Jerome Giles, who passed away in July 2012, spent most of his adult life as a Special Education teacher, supervisor and
as a certified school psychologist. He spent 26 years in local political office including 14 of them as a member, secretary,
vice president and president of the Lakeland School Board. He was active in many organizations dedicated to youth
and community involvement and served as a member of the Board of Temple Hesed (Scranton) from 2007 to the date
of his passing.
In his Will, he provided for an unrestricted endowment to the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania totaling $1 million.
The income from his gift will be used to perpetuate Jewish life in Northeast Pennsylvania, to sustain our many institutions,
to support Israel, and to assist our People in 57 countries around the world - wherever Jews are in need or under threat.
Our community is eternally grateful for his generosity.
Write your prescription for a better Jewish future by remembering the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania in
your estate planning.
For more information, please call Mark Silverberg, Executive Director at 570-961-2300 (ext. 1) or e-mail him at
mark.silverberg@jewishnepa.org if you have any questions.

For our Community.
For our Posterity.
For Israel.
Forever.

ÊVisit the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania on the web at www.jewishnepa.org or on Facebook

By Cnaan Liphshiz
PARIS (JTA) – In the elegant silence of
a narrow street near the River Seine, David
Moyal takes a breath of fresh winter air
and enters a noisy restaurant in the French
capital. Inside Miznon, he is transported to
another world, filled with the cacophony of
Hebrew voices and Israeli music. A bustling
new bistro that Moyal runs in the fourth arrondissement, Miznon is becoming hugely
popular with Israelis and French Jews thanks
to its Tel Aviv feel and audacious mission
to pack Paris into a pita.
Inside, a few dozen customers are chatting and gesticulating while eating fusion
dishes such as ratatouille with hummus, beef
bourguignon with fried eggplant or a whole

head of roasted cauliflower. Sometimes a
staffer will spontaneously start drumming
on pots to songs by Yehoram Ga’on or the
Dorbanim as one of his colleagues doles out
complimentary glasses of mint tea.
“As you can see, we were going for
good service, but with a healthy amount of
Israeli ‘balagan,’” Moyal says, using the
Hebrew slang word that translates roughly
as “hullabaloo.”
Opened in October in the heart of the
Marais, the historically Jewish district on
the right bank of the Seine, Miznon is the
brainchild of Eyal Shani, a well-known Israeli television chef who owns a successful
restaurant by the same name in Tel Aviv. “My
vision is to take whole cities and translate

them into one pita,” Shani says. “So in this
case, to take Paris’ energies, its groove, its
longings, its limitations, its beauty and its
food, and express all of that in one pita.”
Miznon is not the only Israeli restaurant
in the Marais to offer pita power for a couple
of euros. Next door is L’As Du Fallafel
(The Falafel Ace), a Parisian eatery whose
devoted clientele and 35 years in existence
have made it into something of an institution here.
Moyal, 32, says he is unfazed by the
competition. “The Ace have nothing to do
with what we’re about,” he says. “They are
selling Israeli food from the 1970s. We are
offering a taste of contemporary Tel Aviv
mixed with Paris.”
Some Israeli fans of Miznon become
indignant at the mere comparison. “Miznon
is one of the few places where you can get
real hummus, which they cook and make
here,” says Hen Solomon, who has been
living in Paris for several years. “The rest of
the restaurants here sell the cliche of Israeli
food, shwarma and falafel. That’s bullshit.
Been there, done that.”
Still, Ace does have its own card to play.
Unlike Miznon, which is kosher style, the
Ace is certified kosher.
The fact that Miznon is situated in the
heart of the Marais carries special significance for Moyal, who grew up here. Once
clotted with Jewish shops and restaurants,
the area has grown more chic and become
less Jewish in recent years. “It’s very im-

Book
The Paris outpost of the Tel Aviv restaurant Miznon serves fusion dishes of Israeli
and French cuisine in a pita. (Photo by Cnaan Liphshiz)

real: I came to care about Mustafa as much if
not more than Isaac. The story of these two
men, and their hopes and dreams, is beautifully written and ultimately moving.

portant for me that
Miznon is keeping
Jewish presence
here,” Moyal says.
If Miznon succeeds in becoming a hub for Israel-born expats in
Paris – a population
some estimate at approximately 5,000 Israeli celebrity
– it would be a first, chef Eyal Shani
according to Ariel is the inspiration
Kandel, the Jewish behind Miznon, a
Agency’s head of Tel Aviv eatery that
operations in France. has just opened an
“Paris doesn’t have outpost in Paris.
any of those Israeli (Photo by Miriam
hangouts you see in Alster/FLASH90)
New York, London or
Amsterdam,” Kandel says. “Maybe Miznon
will become just that. So far their marketing
has been brilliant.”
Indeed, the restaurant has received rave
reviews from some of France’s hippest
publications, including L’Express Styles,
Nous Paris, Time Out and Le Figaro, among
others. In addition to non-Jewish clients,
the publicity has brought in a stream of
French Jews.
“We can’t afford a ticket to Israel every
week, so we come here to be reminded,”
says Nathalie ben Chetrit, a Miznon regular. “But we also come for the banane au
chocolat.”

Continued from page 10

“In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist” is
currently available only as an e-book, but
a paperback version will be published in
March.

Have you made your 2014 Pledge to the
The mission of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania is:
To rescue the imperiled, to care for the vulnerable, to support Israel and
to revitalize and perpetuate the Jewish communities of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Yes! I/we want to support this urgent work by joining the Donor Recognition Circle.
o I am enclosing a GIFT of $___________________ o I will PLEDGE $___________________
o Please send me information on wills, trusts and planned giving arrangements that pay income for life.
o I have included the Jewish federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania in my will or estate plans.
o I would like to talk to a Federation representative about a gift.
o My employer will match my gift. I will obtain a matching gift form, and forward it to the Federation.
A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State
by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.
Name:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Email:________________________________________________________________________________________
Home Phone: (

Yesh Atid chief Yair Lapid said the party would leave the coalition government if a
bill requiring haredi Orthodox yeshiva students to serve in the military does not include
criminal sanctions for draft dodgers. Lapid, the finance minister in the current government, said on the Israel Channel 2 program “Meet the Press” on the night of Feb. 8 that
the criminal sanction should apply to all draft dodgers, not just yeshiva students. “There
is a law that must obligate everyone, and everyone will have to obey it,” he said. “We will
not sit in a government that will not pass the draft bill, and it must be real. I won’t accept
some kind of camouflage just to stay in the government.” Yesh Atid made a universal
draft law, which it calls Sharing the Burden, one of its major campaign issues. The Jewish
Home party led by Naftali Bennett, with whom Lapid has shared an alliance, opposes jail
time for yeshiva students who do not respond to their conscription summonses. Lapid
called the issue of draft dodging “an open wound in the heart of the state.” On Feb. 6,
haredi Orthodox demonstrators protested nearly $3 million in cuts to yeshiva funding
over draft deferrals. A government committee headed by lawmaker Ayelet Shaked of
Jewish Home is working to finish revising a universal draft law that already has passed
its first reading in the Knesset. The final bill is expected to be brought for its second and
third reading in mid-March.

Hadassah doctors threaten full strike with hospital in
financial distress

Doctors at Hadassah Medical Center said they would start a full strike if they do not
receive the salary owed to them. Staff members on Feb. 9 threatened to go on a full
strike the following day unless they receive the remaining half of their unpaid salaries
by midnight, the Times of Israel reported. They received only half their January salaries

IDF

Continued from page 6

Pvt. Or Meidan. She moved to a southern
kibbutz in Israel from Uganda. In November
2012, her town was a regular target of Hamas
rockets. Today, she is an Iron Dome missile
defense system operator. Also listed is First
Sgt. Monaliza Abdo, an Arab-Israeli combat
soldier. While most Arab-Israelis don’t even
take part in army service, Abdo rose through
the ranks to become a commander, teaching soldiers how to combat terrorism and
other threats. In December, she completed
three years of service – one more than the
required number for Israeli women.
Lt. Amit Danon, a former Israeli national
champion in rhythmic gymnastics, became a
combat officer in the mixed-gender Caracal
Battalion. She is also on the IDF’s list. “She was
one of the first women to become an officer in a
combat unit,” Risa Kelemer, a commander who
also serves in Caracal, told JNS.org. Kelemer,
who is from Baltimore, said Caracal is the only
co-ed combat unit in the world.
“Boys and girls play the same roles,”
she said, noting that despite this she has
felt little tension from the men she works
with. “I encounter more difficulty when I
am in civilian life. I meet someone who
says, ‘You are a combat soldier? Girls
aren’t combat soldiers!’”
Kelemer does not pretend to be as strong
as her male counterparts, though she said
she is able to hold her own. When it comes
to an operation, however, she said each
person has a role. Kelemer, for example, is
a trained grenade launcher. Another female
comrade is a sharp shooter. Another is a
medic. “Combat is not just running with
50 pounds on your back,” said Kelemer,
“though we also do that.”
Katja Edelman, originally from Kansas
and now a student at Columbia University,
recently completed her service as a combat
infantry soldier in the IDF’s canine unit. In
that role, she worked with dogs in the field
and trained them back at the base. She told
JNS.org that the IDF “has a lot to be proud

Dylan Ostrin, of Houston, who is on the
IDF’s recent list of “8 Female Soldiers
Who Shattered Barriers in 2013.” (Photo
courtesy of the Israel Defense Forces)
of regarding integration of women… I felt
like I had amazing opportunities in my service and was able to do many of the same
things men do… It was always important
to me to demonstrate professionalism and
capability to set the right precedent for a
continued and hopefully expanded role for
women in the IDF.”
Edelman said she did feel pressure to
prove herself in the IDF, and she went to
extra lengths not to show signs of fatigue
“even if the boys were openly exhausted.
“I feel that most women in male-dominated workplaces can relate,” she said.
Kelemer’s mother, Amian Frost-Kelemer, said she is “incredibly impressed with
and proud” of her daughter. But she is also
“petrified.”
“She believes she can do whatever the
guys can do. She is really fast. But the
weight they have to carry is not great for a
woman’s body,” Frost-Kelemer told JNS.
org. “Mentally, there is no issue. Physically,
the reality is that as strong as she is, it is
about heart – she is there for the heart.”
Maayan Jaffe is a freelance writer in
Overland Park, KS.

To get Federation updates via email,
rregister on our website

www.jewishnepa.org
Pledge or Donate
online at

due to the center’s $367 million deficit. The doctors at Hadassah’s two campuses have
been on partial strike, offering only urgent treatment on a Sabbath and holiday schedule
for nearly a week. Doctors in all of Israel’s hospitals went on a two-hour strike on Feb.
9 in solidarity with the Hadassah staff. Israel’s Health Minister Yael German announced
a financial recovery package offered to the hospital, including a government loan of
more than $14 million to be matched by Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of
America, Haaretz reported. The announcement came after the hospital on Feb. 7 filed for
court protection against its creditors, including employees filing to receive back salaries,
after two Israeli banks cut off their lines of credit, according to reports. The money from
the government and Hadassah would allow the hospital to continue operating, but not to
pay the back salaries. Haaretz reported that the court trustee in the case will not take over
management of the hospital. Hadassah Medical Center is one of the largest hospitals in
Israel and the only one specializing in head trauma.

Princeton partnering with Herzliya school for semester program

Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
established a joint program with the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya in Israel. The joint
program with the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at IDC Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, will begin in the fall. Under the program, juniors from the Wilson
School will enroll in the Middle East specialization at the Lauder School. At the end
of the semester in Israel, the students will write a policy paper as part of the Princeton
Task Force Program. IDC Herzliya is the Wilson School’s only partner in the Middle
East. Princeton has similar partnerships with six universities worldwide, including the
University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and Sciences Po in Paris. Founded in 1994,
IDC Herzliya is the first private, non-profit institute of higher education in Israel. Twentyfive percent of its student body comes from abroad, mostly from the United States and
Europe. Princeton has study abroad programs at several universities in Israel: the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem, the Rothberg International School; Tel Aviv University; the
Lowy School for Overseas Students; and the University of Haifa.

Australian energy firm to pay $2.5 billion to enter Israel’s
Leviathan gas field

The Australian Woodside Petroleum company signed a $2.5 billion deal to enter the
Leviathan gas field in offshore Israel. The owners of Leviathan were in Australia the
week of Feb. 5 to try to finalize a year-old nonbinding deal worth up to $2.3 billion, The
Australian newspaper reported on Feb. 6. Woodside will pay more than it had originally
offered to enter the gas field because its owners want to pipe much of the gas to Turkey
and other regional countries. Pipeline exports to Turkey require less development spending, which would increase the value of the gasfield. Under the new memorandum of
understanding, Woodside will take a 25 percent stake, down from 30 percent discussed
in previous rounds of negotiation, the paper reported. The terms of entry are $850 million up front and $350 million on a final investment decision. After this, Woodside will
pay up to $1.3 billion for a 5.75 percent royalty on well-head export gas revenue after
at least 2 trillion cubic feet have been exported from the Leviathan field. It will also pay
a royalty of 2.5 percent on any commercial oil production from the deep prospect after
development costs. The deal is conditional on a fully termed agreement and policy, tax
and regulatory approvals from Israel. The Leviathan field, located about 80 miles west
of Haifa in northern Israel, has not yet begun gas production; it is scheduled to start in
2017. The partners are Avner Oil Exploration, Delek Drilling and Ratio Oil Exploration. In June, Israel’s Cabinet approved the export of about 40 percent of the country’s
recently discovered reserves of natural gas while keeping a 25-year supply for national
consumption. The decision was upheld in October by the Israeli Supreme Court. Several
large natural gas fields have been discovered in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of
Israel in recent years. There are projected to be approximately 950 billion cubic meters
of gas in the fields.

Proposed space and science center to be named for Ilan Ramon

A new educational center for space, technology and science named for the late
Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon will be built in central Israel. The Ramon Campus in
Modiin, about 20 miles southeast of Tel Aviv, is a joint project of the Ramon Foundation and Bar-Ilan University. A meeting to launch the project was held on Feb. 6 at the
university. Ramon was a payload specialist aboard the U.S. space shuttle Columbia,
which disintegrated upon re-entering the earth’s atmosphere in February 2003. The
Ramon Campus will feature a scientific and educational center aimed at promoting
science education, according to a statement released Feb. 6 by Bar-Ilan University.
“Our life is a chain that cannot be disconnected,” said Bar-Ilan University President
Daniel Hershkovitz, a former minister of science and technology. “The sages say
that righteous people never pass away because their influence continues to be felt.
This can be said of the late Ilan Ramon, who is a source of inspiration to children,
scientists and industry alike.”

Maestro Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra return to
Carnegie Hall for a benefit concert. Joined by internationally known violinist
Pinchas Zukerman and cellist Amanda Forsyth, the orchestra performs Brahms’s
Double Concerto in A Minor and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F Minor.
If enough community members are want to go, a bus trip may be organized.
Please email Dassy if you’re interested at dassy.ganz@jewishnepa.org.

www.jewishnepa.org/donate

ÊVisit the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania on the web at www.jewishnepa.org or on Facebook

14

THE REPORTER ■ february 13, 2014

New Season of

Films!

Peter Max works on exhibit

February 2014

• Non-Feature Films •

Blessed is the Match - In 1944, 22-year-old Hannah Senesh parachuted into Nazi-occupied Europe with a small group of Jewish volunteers
from Palestine. Theirs was the only military rescue mission for Jews that occurred in World War II.
Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy - This entertaining documentary, narrated by the award-winning Joel Grey, examines the unique role of
Jewish composers and lyricists in the creation of the modern American musical. There are interviews alongside standout performances and
archival footage.
Constantine’s Sword is a 2007 historical documentary film on the relationship between the Catholic Church and Jews. Directed and produced by
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Oren Jacoby, the film is inspired by former priest James P. Carroll’s 2001 book Constantine’s Sword.
*Follow Me - The Yoni Netanyahu Story - featuring three Israeli Prime Ministers, Yoni’s ex-wife (for the first time on film) and recently released
audio from the Entebbe operation itself. Follow Me brings a rare portrait of Israel’s elite soldiers and their greatest hero to the big screen.
Inside Hana’s Suitcase - A real-life Japanese schoolteacher, who appears throughout the film, sparked this entire story by gathering artifacts
for a Holocaust educational center she was developing along with a group of girls and boys called The Small Wings. After applying to receive
Holocaust artifacts, a large box arrives with a handful of artifacts, including a battered brown suitcase labeled with Hana Brady’s name. The
teacher and her students begin searching for the story behind the suitcase. What they discover will surprise you. They wind up unlocking
— and showing us in the film — a whole series of deeply moving memories and other related artifacts and photos. Finally, Hana’s surviving
brother George travels to Japan to meet the Japanese students.
Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story - This excellent documentary, narrated by Dustin Hoffman, portrays the contributions of Jewish
major leaguers and the special meaning that baseball has had in the lives of American Jews. Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story was
shown at the Opening Event for the 2012 UJA Campaign.
The Case for Israel: Democracy’s Outpost - Famed attorney Alan Dershowitz presents a vigorous case for Israel: for its basic right to exist, to
protect its citizens from terrorism and to defend its borders from hostile enemies.
*The Flat - This gripping autobiographical documentary tells the story of the filmmaker Arnon Goldfinger, who travels to Tel Aviv to clean
out the apartment of his recently deceased German-born Jewish grandmother. Goldfinger discovers, while going through her belongings,
evidence that his grandparents were good friends with Leopold von Mildenstein, a leading official within the Nazi propaganda agency, and
that they remained friends after World War II. He journeys to find out the details of this disturbing revelation.
The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg - As baseball’s first Jewish star, Hammering Hank Greenberg’s career contains all the makings of a
true American success story.
*Orchestra of Exiles - This riveting documentary tells the story of how Polish violinist Bronislaw Huberman watched Jewish musicians being
fired from classical orchestras when Hitler came to power. Huberman decided to build a new orchestra in Palestine and encountered many
obstacles along the way. He ultimately succeeds and the Palestine Symphony gave its first performance December 1936. (When Israel gained
independence in 1948, the orchestra was renamed the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, which remains to this day a world-class orchestra.)

• Feature Films •

Crossing Delancey - This is a warm comedy taking place in New York City. Isabella Grossman desires to rise above her family’s Lower East
Side community, but her grandmother has other matchmaking plans.
*Fill the Void - Fill the Void tells the story of an 18-year-old, Shira, who is the youngest daughter of her family. Her dreams are about to come
true as she is set to be married off to a promising young man. Unexpectedly, her sister, Esther, dies while giving birth to her first child. The
pain that overwhelms the family postpones Shira’s promised match. Everything changes when an offer is proposed to match Yochay, the late
Esther’s husband, to a widow from Belgium. When the girls’ mother finds out that Yochay may leave the country with her only grandchild, she
proposes a match between Shira and the widower. Shira will have to choose between her heart’s wish and her family duty.
Footnote - The story of a great rivalry between a father and son, both eccentric professors who have both dedicated their lives to work in
Talmudic Studies departments of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Though the father shuns overt praise for his work and the son is desperate
for it, how will each react when the father is to be awarded the most sought after prize, the Israel Prize? This Oscar nominated film will
entrance from the start.
Good - In an attempt to establish its credibility, the new Nazi government is seeking out experts to endorse its policies and comes across
Johnnie Halder’s novel of a husband who aids his terminally ill wife in an assisted suicide. Because of this, the Nazis flatter Johnnie, arranging
for high paying and prestigious positions. Never evil, Johnnie Halder is an Everyman who goes along, accepting what he is told without
question until he is an unwitting accomplice to the Nazi killing machine.
*Hava Nagila: The Movie - Hava Nagila is instantly recognizable and musical shorthand for anything Jewish. But as audiences will discover in
Hava Nagila (The Movie), the song is much more than a tale of Jewish kitsch and bad bar mitzvah fashions. In its own believe-it-or-not way, it
encapsulates the Jewish journey over the past 150 years. Featuring interviews with Harry Belafonte, Connie Francis, Glen Campbell, Leonard
Nimoy, Regina Spektor and more. The film follows the song from Eastern Europe to Palestine and all the way to America.
Hidden In Silence - Przemysl, Poland, WWII. Germany emerges victorious over the Russians, and the city comes under Nazi control. The
Jews are sent to the ghettos. While some stand silent, Catholic teenager Stefania Podgorska chooses the role of a savior and sneaks 13 Jews
into her attic. Every day, she risks detection — and immediate execution — by smuggling food and water to the silent group living above her.
And when two German nurses are assigned to her living quarters, the chances of discovery become dangerously high. This is the true story
of a young woman’s selfless commitment and unwavering resolve in the face of war.
Noodle (PAL version- can only be played on computer, NOT regular DVD players) - At 37, Miri is a twice-widowed, El Al flight attendant. Her
well regulated existence is suddenly turned upside down by an abandoned Chinese boy whose migrant-worker mother has been deported
from Israel. The film is a touching comic-drama in which two human beings — as different from each other as Tel Aviv is from Beijing —
accompany each other on a remarkable journey, one that takes them both back to a meaningful life.
Operation Thunderbolt - The true story of the Entebbe hijacking and rescue. Operation Thunderbolt was filmed in Israel with the full
cooperation of the Israeli government, and is an exciting re-creation of the events of those tense days. We see the full scope of the story,
from the original hijacking to the passengers’ captivity in Uganda to the agonized debates at the highest levels of the Israeli government over
a diplomatic vs. a military solution. Operation Thunderbolt is the thrilling and true story of how one small country refused to let its people be
killed by terrorists and took action to prevent it. People who claim that Israel is a “terrorist state” should see the film and be reminded who
the real terrorists are.
Orthodox Stance (documentary-2007) - Dimitriy Salita, a Russian immigrant, is making history as a top professional boxer and rigorously
observant Jew. While providing an intimate, 3-year-long look at the trials and tribulations faced by an up and coming professional boxer,
Orthodox Stance is a portrait of seemingly incompatible cultures and characters working together to support Dmitriy’s rare and remarkable
devotion to both Orthodox Judaism and the pursuit of a professional boxing title.
Playing for Time - An outstanding cast brings life to this Fania Fenelon autobiography about a Jewish cabaret singer and other Jewish
prisoners whose lives were spared at Auschwitz in exchange for performing for their captors.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - Set during World War II, this is the story of Bruno, an innocent and naïve 8-year-old boy, who meets a boy
while romping in the woods. A surprising friendship develops.
*The Concert - Thirty years ago, Andrei Simoniovich Filipov, the renowned conductor of the Bolshoi Orchestra, was fired for hiring Jewish
musicians. Now a mere cleaning man at the Bolshoi, he learns by accident that the Chatelet Theater in Paris has invited the Bolshoi
Orchestra to play there. He decides to gather together his former musicians and perform in Paris in the place of the current Bolshoi
Orchestra. He wants a young violinist virtuoso, Anne-Marie Jacquet, to accompany his old Jewish or Gypsy musicians. If they all overcome
the hardships ahead, this very special concert will be a triumph.
The Debt - Academy Award winner Helen Mirren and two-time Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson star in The Debt. In 1966, three Mossad
agents were assigned to track down a feared Nazi war criminal hiding in East Berlin, a mission accomplished at great risk and personal cost… or
was it?
The Impossible Spy - Young Israeli husband Eli Cohen is recruited by the Mossad in the early 1960s and sent to Syria. Telling his wife he has a
new job that requires extensive business travel, he takes up residence in Syria, where he befriends a high-ranking Syrian government official and
provides invaluable information to Israel. On a visit home, his wife pleads with him to leave his job so he can be home more, and his handler
tells him he has accomplished enough, but he decides to return to Syria one last time. One day, he learns of an attack on a kibbutz scheduled
for that night; he abandons normal precautions in order to warn Israel as quickly as possible and is caught.
The Other Son - The dramatic tale of two babies switched at birth, The Other Son creates a thoughtful presentation of what could be a soap
opera-type event. Instead, director Lorraine Levy and a wonderful screenplay take the viewer down a very different path, allowing each to
come to his/her own conclusions.
Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story - Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story is an incredibly riveting, Emmy Award-winning, fact-based story about a hero who
helped more than 100,000 Hungarian Jews escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust.
*Just added to the Jewish Federation’s Film Lending Library!

Original drawings of Peter Max are on exhibit
at the Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn
Harbor, NY, through February 23. Max has been
called a “visionary pop artist,” whose work
helped define the 1960s. The exhibit features work by Max
from the ‘60s to contemporary time. For more information,
visit www.nassaumuseum.org/exhibits_peter_max.php or
contact the museum at 516-484-9337.

Retreat to feature Itzhak Perlman

Dreamcatcher Events will hold a retreat with violin
master, conductor and teacher Itzhak Perlman from August
18-22 at the Gideon Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs,
NY. “Bows and Batons: four days of music and music appreciation with Itzhak Perlman and Friends” will offer an
opportunity to share music and conversation with Perlman;
his wife, Toby Perlman; Merry Peckham of the Perlman
Music Program; and some of the program’s alumni.
The retreat will also offer a series of concerts and workshops
led by Perlman and Perlman Music Program instructors and
musicians. Highlights will include a series of performances
featuring classical masterpieces along with commentary from
the performers, in an informal concert setting.
For more information, visit http://bowsandbatons.com/
or e-mail info@bowsandbatons.com. To register for the
retreat, visit http://bowsandbatons.com/itzhak-perlmanregistration-policies/.

Jewish book sale

The students of Yeshiva University will present their annual Seforim Sale, which has been called North America’s
largest Jewish book sale, through February 23, in Belfer
Hall, 2495 Amsterdam Ave., on YU’s Wilf Campus in
Manhattan. The sale is operated entirely by YU students.
Those who cannot attend the sale can order online on the
Seforim Sale’s website. For a listing of dates and times, to
purchase gift certificates or to view the online catalog, visit
www.theseforimsale.com. Proceeds from the sale support
various initiatives, including student activities on campus
and undergraduate scholarships.

Siddur

Continued from page 11

offering three spaces of around 12,000 square feet to three
major world museums. This is still in negotiations, but we
have been in contact early on with a Jewish institution, offering this wonderful opportunity to have a special presence
a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol.
One thing that also is often lost in this, is that the Green
family is giving all of the items to the museum. They are
not collectors. They are doing this for the public good.

Tefillin

Continued from page 7
which recently questioned Weiss’ Orthodox credentials.
Incidentally, SAR is not the first Orthodox school to allow
girls to lay tefillin; the Ramaz School in Manhattan made
such an allowance as far back as the early 1990s, though it
made no public announcement about it until SAR did. And
eight centuries ago, the daughters of Rashi, the medieval
French rabbi, were said to have worn tefillin.
While the more public battles have been over women being
ordained, laying tefillin or reading from the Torah, there are
innumerable issues related to women both large and small
with which Orthodoxy is grappling. It’s not just about clergy,
but also women serving as synagogue presidents, making
the blessing over bread or wine on Shabbat, or dancing with
Torah scrolls on Simchat Torah. While initially considered
aberrant, some of these practices have gradually gained acceptance in mainstream Orthodox circles.
Will the changes considered controversial today gradually gain mainstream acceptance, too, or are they fated to
remain a fringe Orthodox phenomenon?
In an elastic movement with no central governing authority or membership structure, it’s hard to say. Clearly the
haredi Orthodox will stand against change. The question
is which way the modern Orthodox and the institutions
associated with them – the RCA, Yeshiva University, the
Orthodox Union and the National Council of Young Israel,
to name a few – will swing.
There is, perhaps, one factor that may play an outsize role
in determining this: leadership. If the change agents within
Orthodoxy become educators, role models and leaders of the
next generation of modern Orthodox Jews, successfully pass
on their commitment to both halachah and egalitarianism,
and continue to live a life committed to Jewish law, they
could transform the face of modern Orthodoxy.
But if they fail, then those who have been arguing all
along that these changes have no place in Orthodoxy will
see vindication in that failure.

FEBRUARY 13, 2014 ■

THE REPORTER

15

NEWS IN bRIEF
From JTA

in the case of Portugal’s law of return, the Lusa news agency reported on Jan. 20.

Virginia Beach students to make up school on Saturdays

Jewish groups condemn new Presbyterian study guide on Zionism

Virginia Beach City public schools will have classes on three Saturdays to make up
for days lost from a major snowstorm last month. “We hope our community could be
reassured that our religious needs can be met,” Rabbi Israel Zoberman of Beth Chaverim,
a Reform congregation in Virginia Beach, told the local media. “We don’t want anyone
to pay a price for the snow that came upon us.” Zoberman told WAVY-TV, “I would like
to believe that someone overlooked the fact that on Saturday Jews meet at worship. We
also have pre-arranged special events such as bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs.” At least one
seventh-grader’s bar mitzvah is scheduled for one of the makeup days. Phillip Goldstein
is worried that none of his friends will be able to attend the morning service on April 26,
according to The Virginian-Pilot columnist Kerry Dougherty. Along with April 26, the
other makeup days are Feb. 15 and March 29. “Designating makeup days for time lost
due to inclement weather is one of the most unpopular decisions a superintendent makes,”
Sheila Magula, the superintendent of Virginia Beach Schools, said in a statement. “There
is never a day that is convenient for all of our students, staff and families.” School board
member Leonard Tengco told the local ABC affiliate WVEC that the school district’s
online calendar has stated “for years” that Saturdays are an option for makeup days.

Hungary’s main Jewish umbrella votes to boycott state
Holocaust commemorations

The main Jewish umbrella group in Hungary voted to boycott the state-sponsored Holocaust
memorial program unless the government makes changes to redress distortions of history.
Representatives of Mazsihisz, the Association of Hungarian Jewish Communities, at a special
assembly on Feb. 9 voted 76-2 to “distance” the organization from the government’s program
marking the 70th anniversary of the mass deportation of Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz “under
the present circumstances.” Its resolution said the government plans “do not take into consideration the sensitiveness of those who went though the horror of the Holocaust.” Mazsihisz, the
resolution said, can take part in the Holocaust 2014 program and will use the grants it received
from the government’s Civil Fund for memorial events “only if the Hungarian government
changes its attitude toward the memory and research of the Holocaust.” Prime Minister Viktor
Orban must take action on three specific issues, the resolution said: halt the erection of a memorial in downtown Budapest to the German occupation of Hungary; dismiss Sandor Szakaly as
the director of a new government historical institute; and suspend the creation of a Holocaust
memorial museum in a former Budapest train station. The resolution said the monument’s
“symbolic message promotes the shifting away of national responsibility” in the Holocaust.
It also noted that Szakaly recently characterized as “a police action against aliens” the 1941
roundup and deportation of about 18,000 foreign-born Jews to Kamenets-Podolsk, Ukraine,
where they were massacred. As to the museum, Mazsihisz experts still do not know what the
museum’s “take on history” will be, the resolution said, and the head of the museum project,
Maria Schmidt, “does not cooperate with Mazsihisz.” Representatives of Jewish organizations
raised their concerns at a Feb. 6 meeting with Orban’s chief of staff, Janos Lazar, who heads the
state’s Holocaust memorial year program. At the meeting, Lazar said Orban would address the
concerns the week of Feb. 9. Orban already wrote to Jewish leaders in January defending the
German occupation monument, saying it would commemorate all Nazi victims. Meanwhile,
several synagogues and other Jewish institutions have unilaterally announced that they will
decline funding from the Holocaust memorial year Civil Fund. “We are sad to have witnessed
how in recent weeks the remembrance initiatives have become unworthy pawns in governmental
political games as Hungary approaches its parliamentary elections,” a statement from the Bet
Orim Reform congregation said on Feb. 9 announcing that it would not accept the Civil Fund
grant. “Bet Orim does not wish to be part of this kind of political strategy.”

A study guide on Zionism published by an arm of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is
drawing expressions of outrage from Jewish groups. The guide is “worthy of a hate group,
not a prominent American church,” said Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of the Jewish Council
for Public Affairs, the umbrella body for Jewish public policy groups. The study guide by the
church’s Israel Palestine Mission Network is titled “Zionism Unsettled.” It posits that a “pathology inherent in Zionism” drives the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and rejects theologies that
uphold Zionism. It also calls for an “expanded, inclusive” understanding of the Nazi genocide
that would apply its lessons not just with respect to the persecution faced by Jews but also to
the plight of the Palestinians, among others. The guide urges a “renunciation of the morally
hazardous claims of a hierarchy of victimhood.” The Israel Palestine Mission Network advises
the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) but does not necessarily speak for the church, according to
mission network’s website. But the JCPA noted that the church funds and must approve the
expenditures of the mission network. “As such it is impossible to separate the toxic actions of
IPMN from the PCUSA without the kind of clarification from PCUSA officials that remains
sorely missing,” Gutow said in the statement. The Simon Wiesenthal Center warned that the
guide could result in Jews cutting off ties with the church. “If this book reflects the feelings of
the PCUSA, the Simon Wiesenthal Center will divest all contacts from this institution and call
on other Jewish organizations to do them same,” the center said in a statement. The American
Jewish Committee called the guide “a devastating distortion of Jewish and Israeli history,
aimed at nothing less than eradicating the state of Israel.” The guide was released ahead of
the church’s biennial General Assembly, taking place this June in Detroit. The gathering will
once again consider recommendations that it divest from companies that deal with Israel’s
military. Similar resolutions have been narrowly defeated in the past.

Woolsey: Antisemitism could be playing part in Pollard saga

Former CIA Director James Woolsey said antisemitism could be part of the reason the
United States has refused to release spy-for-Israel Jonathan Pollard. Woolsey noted in an
interview on Feb. 8 with Israel’s Channel 10 that Americans who spied for other countries
were freed after much shorter sentences. “I certainly don’t think that it is universally true,
but in the case of some American individuals, I think there is antisemitism at work here,”
said Woolsey, who served as head of the CIA during the Clinton administration in the 1990s.
Pollard is in the 29th year of a life sentence in a U.S. prison for spying for Israel while a
civilian U.S. Navy analyst. Woolsey said that most in the American intelligence community
considers the Pollard case “ancient history, which is one reason that Pollard ought to be
released.” The Anti-Defamation League’s national director, Abraham Foxman, last month
said in an interview with Israel’s Army Radio that the continued imprisonment of Pollard
is “on the verge of antisemitism.” A week earlier, Elliott Abrams, a former U.S. deputy
national security advisor, said in an interview with i24 news, an international 24-hour news
and current affairs television channel based in Tel Aviv, that Pollard should be released.
An increasing number of figures involved in government when Pollard was given his life
sentence in 1987 now say his sentence should be commuted. The calls to release Pollard
have intensified in the last year, with pleas from lawmakers and former top officials of both
U.S. political parties. Pollard is up for parole in less than two years.

Senate urges State Dept. to renegotiate terms for return of Iraqi
Jewish archive

The Senate unanimously urged the State Department to renegotiate the terms for the return
to Iraq of an archive of Iraqi Jewish texts. The resolution passed on Feb. 6 “strongly urges”
the department to renegotiate the agreement with the Iraqi government “in order to ensure that
the Iraqi Jewish Archive be kept in a place where its long-term preservation and care can be
guaranteed.” The nonbinding resolution also “recognizes that the Iraqi Jewish Archive should
be housed in a location that is accessible to scholars and to Iraqi Jews and their descendants
who have a personal interest in it.” The resolution was initiated by Sens. Pat Toomey (R-PA),
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ben Cardin (D-MD). U.S. troops
uncovered the archive in the Iraqi secret service headquarters in Baghdad in 2003, much of
it waterlogged. Iraqi agents under Saddam Hussein had looted many of the articles after the
dictator had driven the remnants of the Jewish community out of the country in a terror campaign. Under an agreement with the Coalition Provisional Authority that had governed Iraq,
the materials were sent to the United States where experts, led by a National Archives team,
restored them. Iraqi Jews in Israel, the United States, Britain and elsewhere oppose its return
to Iraq under the agreement, saying the government now in place is not sympathetic to Jewish
interests and would not make it available. The archive, now on display at the National Archives
in Washington, DC, is due to be returned in June. Jewish groups, including the Orthodox Union,
the World Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and
Justice for Jews from Arab Countries, praised the Senate for passing the resolution.

Spain OKs bill for Jewish return

Spain’s Jewish community congratulated the government for approving a bill proposing to
facilitate the naturalization of Sephardic Jews of Spanish descent. On Feb. 7, Spain’s government approved the bill, which was filed in January by the ruling Popular Party and proposes
to amend previous legislation that allowed for granting citizenship to Sephardic Jews who
chose to apply for it. Spain’s Federation of Jewish Communities, or FCJE, said in a statement
on Feb. 7 that it welcomed the move. “Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz Gallardon has kept his
word,” the FCJE statement said. The bill proposes to allow dual nationality, enabling those
who can prove Sephardic ancestry to also retain their other citizenships. Reports about the bill
did not say when it would go up for a vote by lawmakers of Spain’s Congress of Deputies.
Spain already granted citizenship to individuals who applied based on previous naturalization
laws for Sephardic Jews, but had no procedure in place to process such requests, the Terra
Espana news site reported on Feb. 7. Ruiz-Gallardon said the measure smooths the bureaucracy
involved in obtaining Spanish citizenship. Applicants must be vetted by the government and
FCJE. Ruiz-Gallardon announced his intention to introduce new legislation in November
2012. His Popular Party introduced the bill in December 2013 after Portugal passed its own
law of Jewish return in July. Hundreds of thousands of Jews fled Spain and Portugal during
the 15th and 16th centuries when they were persecuted by the Catholic Church and the royal
houses of both countries. In January, the initiator of the Portuguese law, lawmaker Jose Ribeiro
e Castro, urged the government to draft regulations to allow its implementation. Portuguese
law gives the government 90 days to draft regulations for laws passed, but this did not happen

ÊVisit the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania on the web at www.jewishnepa.org or on Facebook

16

THE REPORTER â&#x2013; february 13, 2014

CAMPAIGN
Ptfio

Don Douglass, Esq.
General Campaign Chair

Total to date:

$742,069
THE
TIME
IS
NOW!

If you have not yet
made your gift to the
2014 Federation/UJA
Campaign, please
contact Mark Silverberg
at 570-961-2300, ext. 3.
Help us reach our goal of
$895,000.00. Your support
enables us to fund the many
important Jewish needs right
here in Northeastern
Pennsylvania and elsewhere
around the world. Your
participation is also helping to
ensure a strong Jewish future.